Fundamental questions of future urban development can only be addressed when municipal administrations work alongside civic society. Civic and production labs – along with think tanks – increasingly come into play, shaping new forms and approaches to urban co-existence, as well as the civic economy. City officials are now strategically investing in this kind of ‘know-how’ in order to develop answers addressing the structural and cultural changes of urban societies. Can we form a bridge between such expertise and municipal administrations? What roles do design, art, and culture play in this process, and what (architectural) spaces are then required?